The garbage truck came rolling down the street around 6:40, as I sat with my tea and my book, at the end of my twenty minutes of quality time with God (something I am trying to be much better at starting every day with).

I watched as two men jumped off. One turned the trash can (what seems like a mini-dumpster to me) into the truck. I became aware of what I usually don’t see—the ease and speed with which he moved that big bin; the way the truck maneuvered around the cul-de-sac; how quickly they jumped back up on the truck, and held on, as it sped away.

In spite of my best intentions, I’m sometimes not fully in my life. Do you know what I mean? I think that a lot of us are “non-seeing seeing”. Instead of being fully engaged, we rush through, or dance around our lives. We’re on the lookout for what, or who, is “more important”, and miss the here and now—the “this is what really matters because this moment will never happen again”.

If we don’t “see” the child in front of us—this person who, in a seeming blink of an eye, will grow up—we miss the blessed opportunities to see the childhood—the innocence, the wonder, the excitement, the urgency to share and laugh and feel loved.

If we don’t actually look at the flower (or the weed between the cracks) or the sunset or the rain, we will never see them again either. Sure, there’ll be other flowers, sunsets and rainstorms, but never exactly the same ones. Life will fly by. We will grow old (if we’re blessed with that reality). Experiences and relationships will not be able to be replicated.

There are times when I lose my foothold, or miss a step, and go crashing to the ground. I lie there for a few minutes and then realize that I’m
running to,
jumping through, or
racing around, too fast.
Slowing down doesn’t seem like an option. But where am I heading? Sure, I have to work—to earn a living, and take care of my home and property. Sure, I have a lot of responsibilities. Sure, I want to spend quality time with those I love most, with others I can help, with God. But, will racing get me there? Won’t the stumbles and falls just slow me down in the end?

Maybe, again for the hundredth time, I simply need a reality check.

I was told that these perennials are “mock sunflowers”. They grow over 8′ tall, won’t last a day if you cut them and have no problem taking (and falling) over other plants and shrubs around them. They’re content with just being themselves. No fanfare, no haughty arrangements, just themselves. Pretty cool, right?

Dear Readers,
Please let me know if anything in this post resounds with you and your life. Your input matters to me. Kay

Blog: peacefullhome.com
Twitter: @kaymclane
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